Folding table with paired legs



FOLDING TABLE WITH PAIRED LEGS Filed June 9, 1949 INVENTOR.

LgQN J. W\TKOW\AK United States Patent FOLDING TABLE WITH PAIRED LEGSLeon John Witkowiak, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June 9, 1949, Serial No. 98,072

2 Claims. (Cl. 311--88) I;l-his invention relates to improvements infolding ta les.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide an improvedoccasional or banquet table having legs foldable against theundersurface of the table top. The improvements herein disclosed lieprincipally in the novel provisions for swingably connecting the legs tothe table top, and in the means for slidably guiding the leg braceduring folding action of the legs and locking the legs in both bracedand folded positions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a ruggedlyconstructed table of a simple design, wherein the table legs are sopositioned as to occasion minimum interference with the legs of thosesitting at the table and which will adequately support the table and yetwill facilitate compact storage by being readily foldable against theundersurface of the table top in a convenient and rapid manner.

Other objects will be more apparent from an examination of the followingdisclosure.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the table with the legs braced in tablesupporting position, the table top being broken away to show structuraldetails.

Fig. 2 is a detail view partly in cross section of a leg mountingbracket.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in broken away perspective showing the springmeans for locking the legs in folded position.

Fig. 4 is a broken away perspective view showing in detail the leg braceguide and spring lock of the brace.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view partly in cross section showingfolded, braced, and intermediate positions of the legs with respect tothe table top.

The table comprises a top set into shoulders formed on side rails 11 andend rails 12, the sides being cross connected by an intermediate rail13. Foldable legs 14 support the table near both its ends. The legs 14are preferably shaped from a single length of light weight tubular stockhaving a transverse horizontal base run 21, at the ends of which theotherwise rectangular out line of the leg is extended at the corners toprovide feet 18. The legs are welded to tubular axle member 15 whoseinternal bore forms journals as best shown in Fig. 2. The journaled endsof the axle 15 are pivotly engaged with the pivot pins 16 which projectinwardly from mounting brackets 17. The mounting brackets are securelypositioned in paired relation at the inside facing edges of the siderails 11 and are spaced equally from the end rail 12.

The legs 14 are held in table supporting position by the brace 20 whichis pivotly attached at one end to the transverse leg base 21 andslidably attached at its other end, through aperture 23, with a guiderod 22. The guide rod 22 is carried at each end of the table by abracket comprising a short member 24 and long member 25 joined at rightangles and fitting and connecting into the corners formed by thejunction of table top 10 and end rails 12 where it also serves as are-enforcing member. The guide rods and carrying brackets extendlongitudinally of the table along its underside and are disposedcentrally of the side rails 11 so as to support the brace 20 in guidedsliding relation during folded action of the legs. The guide rods 22underlie long bracket member 25 and are spaced equally therefrom overthe greater portion of their length but incline upwardly at their innerends toward the long member 25. The angularly inclined 2,695,828Patented Nov. 30, 1954 apertured end 230 of the brace is locked in tablesupporting position by the spring clip 26 which is carried by bracket 25and biased yieldably into the path of the brace. It may be manuallyurged therefrom toward the table top to release the brace in order tofold the legs.

As the legs are folded, this being illustrated step by step by dottedline positions shown in Fig. 5, the apertured end 230 of the leg brace20 slides along the guide rod 22 and is finally positioned upon theupturned portion 27 of guide rod 22, as shown in the final dotted lineposition in Fig. 5. As the leg folds, the brace end 230, initiallyvertical, is tilted and might cramp on rod 22 were it not for theslightly elongated form of hole 23 and also the upward inclination ofthe rod portion 27. The folded position of the legs is maintained by thespring lock 30 which is fixed to the intermediate rail 13 and which maybe released manually when it is desired to unfold the legs.

In the preferred design embodying the invention the table top is made ofsuch a length that when legs positioned at either end of the table topare folded they will mutually abut the intermediate re-enforcing rail 13and will be releasably held in such position by the locking springs 30disposed at either side of the rail.

The legs when folded will be completely received within the broadchannel defined by the projection of the end and side rails beneath thetable top thereby facilitating multiple storage of the tables when notin use.

The folded leg braces 20 may also be used as handles for carrying thetable sideways under the arms for transportation purposes. It is to benoted that the legs 14 are set back from the end rails 12, therebyproviding clearance for a person desiring to sit at the end of thetable. The thinness of the legs renders them unobjectionable to a personseated beside them.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it is seen that thefolding table described is of simple yetrugged construction. The novel structural combination of the legs, legmounting bracket, leg brace, guide rods and spring locks all contributeto an improved folding table product wherein the legs are readily foldedcompletely within the side rails for storage purposes and which presentan attractive appearance when in use. Moreover construction of such atable becomes an extremely simple matter, requirirlig few tools and fewparts and only elementary skill.

I c aim:

l. A folding table comprising a table top, re-enforcing end rails andside rails and a transverse rail intermediate the end rails, pairedmounting brackets oppositely disposed at facing surfaces of the siderails and equally remote from an end rail, each mounting bracket havingan inwardly projecting pivot pin aligned axially with a correspondingpivot pin on the other of said paired mounting brackets, a leg framecomprising an axle member journaled at both ends for pivoted engagementwith said pivot pins and legs swingable on said axle member, a guidebracket underlying the table top and disposed perpendicular to said axleand extending longitudinally of the table top toward said axle andhaving a guide rod afiixed thereto and extending in spaced relation tothe bracket to a point remote from the end rail where the guide rod isinclined upwardly and fixedly connected with the mounting bracket, a legbrace pivotally connected to the leg frame at one end and having anapertured other end slidable along the guide rod, a releasable springlock fixed on the guide bracket near the end ra-il for releasablylocking the aper-tured end of the leg brace, and a releasable springlock disposed at the intermediate rail for releasably locking the legframe in a folded position against the undersurface of the table top.

2. A folding table comprising a table top having sides and ends,collapsible legs and mountings on which the legs are pivotally mountedto the table top in spaced re lationship to the ends thereof,longitudinal guide rods connected to the table top and positioned ateach end of the table closer to said ends than the leg mountings, andbraces swingably connected at corresponding ends to the legs andslidably connected at their opposite corresponding ends to said guiderods, said guide rods being provided with reinforcing angle brackets,said guide.

rods being spaced beneath the table top and bracket for the greaterportion oftheir length, said-guide rods being each connected at one endsubstantially at a right angle to the bracket portion at the end of thetable and being pwa dly ci nedtat; i s, other end n aconnectedxo. the 5bracket, remote from, thetabel end; the. e nds,of; the braces lid hle onid-rods e ng. p ovided with: elongateda ert ne lidab eon. aidfed .up heinclin dzportion. hereof in he llapsedpos n-.ofithe Ie 1 O umbe NumberNumber Name Date Thielmann Feb. 6, 1900- Henry Apr. 29, 1902 Swart July31, 1906 Arnt Mar. 16, 1909 Thomas Feb. 1, 1910 Matkovic Dec. 23, 1924Oct. 14, 1930 Tobold Sept. 18, 1934 De Saussure Mar. 7, 1944 DouglasOct. 4, 1949 FQREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 20, 1920

